Tears of Blood
by Rose H. McKellen
Summary: A story about Memories and sadness...as a female fighter fights for her life and the ones she loves.Some old friends will apear,and our hero with the cross shaped scar will help her on her quest for forgiveness.But will Sano be able to handle the memories
1. Sakura

-1Rain fell much like a waterfall, yet young Sakura walked slowly with no destination in mind. In this cold weather ,she could catch her death, but she smiled a plan smile, thinking her happy thoughts. Her old uniform was torn and covered with mud, it was a Seki-ho uniform, the old army that had met a untimely death and framing. It was about nine o'clock and she was lost in a large forest that she had once known by heart. As a cold breeze danced past her shivering body her smile went with it. Her sad eyes looked towards the clouded skies.

"Father..."she mumbled from her cold lips. The young daughter of the fallen Captain Sozo Sagara wandered cold and lost, a forgotten soul she was. The night sky could not be seen through the heavy grey clouds that stayed in the sky overhead.

Sakura leaned heavily on a old pine tree. She couldn't help but remember her father, his caring brown eyes and his sweet smile, and the faces of the other men who served under him in the troop. The young woman slowly slid to the ground shivering from winters harsh bite.

"Where would I be if the Seki-ho still lived? Would my father be proud of me and live in the old home? Would I still known Sanosuke and Katsu? " she spoke softly. Sakura was only 18 and she had lost everything when she was at the small age of 8, still she had learned how to fight from a old hermit who lived with his sake and his pottery. Now she was lost, trying to find a man who was suppose to save her from everything, like old times.

With the cold wind blowing at her, she couldn't move, causing a tear to fall from her deep blue eyes. Her thick black hair rested in a soaked braid and her bangs hung in her face much like her fathers did ,even with a red head band. She wore his old uniform that he had left at their old home, where she had stayed a few months ago in till she had become wanted by the law and she gave her home to a great servant who had taken care of it. If only her father could help her now before she would die of cold.

"Kenshin why are we walking in the forest? Its freak'n cold out here!" yelled a seeming angry Sanosuke Sagara.

Our hero with the cross shaped scar walked through a cold, drenched forest with his old friend Sanosuke, though he hadn't told him why they were walking through it. The forest was outside of their home city and Kenshin knew where he was. Earlier that day he had felt like he was being watched, in fact he had felt that all week. He had felt the presents leave so he followed it only to get close enough to hear a argument and a gun shot . Now he was walking through the forest looking for the wounded fighter who he might have had to fight, Kenshin would explain it all later to Sano, but for right now, he was looking for a forgotten fighter.

Sanosuke sighed wanting to yell more but he was so cold. " Kenshin, you know little missy's gonna kill us when we get back...Where are we? I think I'm lost..." He said in his paranoid voice.

"That's not hard for you Sano!" yelled a kid who was walking with them, Little Yahiko.

"Why are you following us still?" asked Sanosuke.

"He can follow us if he wants. I know there is no danger here..."said Kenshin, his eyes different and cold.

The group of fighters walked in the same foot steps of the forgotten Sakura. Kenshin knew where she was and felt her once strong fighting spirit withering away. It was true Sakura had been killing imperialist fighters. Of course she had to, a new gang had been made up of people who hated the imperialists, sons and daughters of dead warriors. Yet they had ordered Sakura to kill people, a few imperialist officials, but she said no because they wanted her to kill a man slayer. But she had watched him for a week and realized that he wasn't like the stories. In fact she saw him fight some crazy man with weird eyes. But Sakura told the leader of this and she ran, because of the fight that threatened to ensue, yet that one bullet had struck her in the side. So now Sakura was lost, tired, and wounded. Her poor bandaging didn't help much. She began to black out, but saw something though the many trees, a man in a reddish pink shirt with a sword on his hip in the far distance.

Kenshin looked at Sano as he felt three other people around, "Sano, could you take Yahiko back to the dojo...I feel much anger in the air. I will be back later tonight. Make sure Dr. Gensia is there."

Sanosuke asked no questions because of the look in Kenshin's eyes. He knew that Kenshin was going to fight, but why would Kenshin want the doctor, he was to good of a fighter for that. Yahiko looked angry because he wasn't going to fight with Kenshin. Sano looked at Kenshin wondering what he was thinking. But Sano followed him a few steps, a few more minutes, just incase of a ambush.

The group of fighters walked for a few more minutes before Yahiko noticed blood on the ground. His eyes grew large and he swiftly looked at Kenshin. It would seem that our hero already had seen the blood and kept walking, following the crimson trail of blood drops, till finally Kenshin saw her, a pale looking fighter covered with blood, rain water, and mud. All three of them stopped dead in their tracks.

"Is this why we came out here?" asked Sano who hadn't seen the Seki-ho uniform.

Kenshin looked at him," Sano, I need you to run to get Dr. Gensai...Yahiko, run back to the Dojo and inform Miss Kaoru that we will have a wounded guest tonight." He looked very serious do to the fact that this woman could die right here right now.

"Alright Kenshin, as long as you know what'cha do'n," said Sano as he began to run back to town.

Yahiko looked at Kenshin, "Is she going to be ok?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well I'm not going to leave you here alone," said a stubborn Yahiko.

Our hero walked over to the sleeping Sakura. He knelt down and touched her face, she was burning up. Kenshin then looked at her wound though the dirty bandages. It wasnt a bad gun wound, but every gun wound was bad, it was more cleaner then most. It would heal...but if he didn't get her to the dojo soon she wouldn't make it. He slowly and gently lifted her.

"Put me down you bandit..." she mumbled not even opening her eyes.

"Bandits we are not," Kenshin said slowly and kindly, " we are here to help, that we are."

She didn't speak again. But Kenshin heard rustling leaves and such. He knew there were more people. Kenshin quickened his pace, making sure that Yahiko was walking close, till they were back in town, three miles from where they had found her. Fortunately the fighters around them didn't attack and let Kenshin leave their sight. Perhaps to leave the fighting for later. Or they thought that the woman was dead. But still Kenshin rushed to the dojo, not looking back, pretending that he didn't know he had been being watched. Now he had to worry about the life in his arms. The woman who's breathing was a effort. He knew that if he didn't get to the dojo soon, he would have failed this woman.


	2. Watchers

-1By the time our hero reached the Dojo everyone was waiting for him. Dr. Gensai walked to him and looked at Sakura, his eyes seemed slightly worried for the woman that he knew nothing about. Kaoru was stomping her foot waiting for Kenshin to take the woman inside and put her in a room so she could yell at him.

"Take her inside...I'm not sure I could save her...but its worth a try." said Dr.Gensia.

Kenshin nodded and walked inside the dojo into a room well lit and laid our bleeding Sakura on the sleeping mat. She coughed slightly as he did this, which might have been a good sign. He nodded at Dr.Gensai and walked into the hall where Kaoru was waiting for him.

"Kenshin, why did you bring her here! We don't know her! She could be a Thief our a murderer!" She yelled, though she was just venting. Kaoru and her anger…

He put his hand on her shoulder , "Miss Kaoru, please try to keep Sano from seeing what she's wearing...I will tell you later what it means. Just please could you get her one of your kimonos..." his voice was slightly cold as he began to walk away.

"Wait Kenshin, do you know who she is?" she asked looking at him, anger had left her and now she was just confused.

Kenshin didn't look back but said " I think I may know..."and he began to walk out side. Where he would sit all night, waiting for the sun rise.

He was thinking of the fight that may soon happen, and how the woman would react to being saved by the man that she had been watching. He held one of her daggers, the other was in her room next to her sword, the sword that had her fathers name on it, at least he thought that it was her fathers name. Kenshin knew nothing of this woman, but he had a feeling that she knew Sano, Sanosuke would rarely speak of his days with the Seki ho army, but once in a while he would mention a girl, the Captain's daughter.

He studied the blade, seeing its use. She was a skilled fighter, and from what this old well used dagger had told him, she knew a fighting style similar to his. But she used dull daggers, like she didn't want to kill her opponents. Kenshin was piecing the whole story together from one weapon. She didn't want to kill for this group, but she did so anyways, she may have used her sword for this. This woman was the one who caused about 3 deaths in this city over the course of a month. Kenshin knew that she wasn't going to accept that she was still alive, she must be feeling guilty. And why had she showed up now, and not earlier, she was wearing a Seki Ho uniform, this would lead her to be the type for revenge. Like Sanosuke was, he was so filled with anger for imperialists. This woman must be a little like that. But Kenshin knew that he wouldn't know anything intill she was awake.

As the sun would rise a few hours later, Kenshin could see someone walking in the distance, though the gate. This worried him, could this be someone coming for Sakura? Who could it be? At this hour?


	3. The Cool One rough Draft

Kenshin stood up looking at the approaching figure. A man caped in white was the figure in the sunrise. Soon out hero realized who the figure was. Someone from long ago. Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style, Kenshin's master. Why the Hell was the drunken hermit coming here?

Hiko walked towards Kenshin, his white cape blowing in the wind as he walked. The sun rising behind him, he looked godly. Hiko was walking with a mission. His face was series and it looked like he had been walking for a while. Soon he was on the porch looking at Kenshin.

Kenshin was amazed , "Master, what are you doing here?"

Hiko smiled a smug smile and took a swig for the jug that he now held. He then looked at Kenshin still smiling. He was silent for a while.

"Did you by chance find a…uh…a wounded fighter in the forest?" Hiko asked slowly. This being the first time he was talked to Kenshin in a while.

There was another okward silence, "Yes…do you know her?"

Hiko sighed " Yes she's my stupid apprentice…they have this problem with running away…" he then sat down looking at the cup of sake in his large hands.

Both of them just sat there for a moment reflecting on the past for the one second that Hiko was there. Hiko then got up and walked into the Dojo. Kenshin followed him, treeing not to get in his way. They walked till they were by the door that led to the wounded fighter.

" She's hurt…" Hiko mumbled.

Kenshin then spoke up "Master, she is wounded, the men are from a new gang in town. I found her outside the city wounded."

There was silence again, then Hiko opened the door and stepped inside. Only to see the bandaged and bruised girl laying in a deep slumber. He didn't say anything, he just looked at her with only a slight shine of worry in his eyes.

"Master you know her?"

Hiko was silent again, "Yes…she left a year ago…"

Kenshin stared at him ," Who is she? She wears a Seki ho uniform…"

"She is the daughter of Captain Sozo Sagara…of the Seki Ho army…Her name is Sakura Sagara, her underground name is Dagger. I found her when she was 8…the night after the army was destroyed. Why do I always get the stupid students?"

This was a shock to Kenshin. He had not only saved his masters new student, he had saved someone who might have known Sano. The girl let out a weak cough. She struggled in feverish dreams.


End file.
